Eli’s weekend in Japan was kicked off bright and early. We had a full day in Kamakura planned plus a long trek to Hakone. In terms of Geography, Tokyo and Hakone are pretty close. By car, you can get there in about an hour and a half. Unfortunately, unless you’re getting an expensive bullet train/Shinkansen, getting there takes almost three hours by public transport. Even with the Shinkansen, it takes over two hours, because of the infrequent buses and whatnot, so we opted for the cheaper, local trains on the way there, so we could stop off at Kamakura on the way, and we figured we’d take the faster way back, through Odawara, figuring we’d be more tired on the way back too.
Sammy and I have great friends who live in Kamakura, so we find ourselves there a lot. This made it super easy to show Eli around, as we knew the best places to eat, shop, have coffee as well as the best ways to get around. We took her down the main shopping street, to the big temple at the end and we picked up fruit daifuku (mochi and white beans surrounding fresh fruits) to eat at the Fuji viewpoint we like to go to near Enoshima. Getting to the viewpoint is about a 40 minute walk, but none of us were afraid of stretching our legs, so we powered over there to try to see Fuji as soon as we could. Eli didn’t have many “must-haves” on her list for Japan, just little photo spots here and there, like Shibuya crossing and whatnot. Fuji though, was the big want. Unfortunately, the great mountain herself did not want to be a part of our plans. When we got to the viewpoint, she hid behind clouds and would not peek out. I explained to Eli that we’re going to Hakone, close to Fuji, so there would be other opportunities, but I was sad she didn’t get to see the true view from that spot because it is one of mine and Sammy’s favourites.
Heading back into Kamakura, we caught the Enoden (famous cute Enoshima train) back to the big buddha/daibutsu. Afterwards, we went for sushi, Eli’s first kaiten (conveyor belt sushi) experience—which she loved—and then the clouds had cleared so we headed back to the viewpoint to see if Fuji would say hello. She didn’t, but we figured it was worth the try just so Eli would have no regrets. We were now completely exhausted, after that hour-long detour to the viewpoint twice, so we were glad to be getting the trains and buses to Hakone, even if it was later than originally scheduled.
The bus dropped us off 15 minutes away from the hotel. It was now completely pitch black and there weren’t many streetlights, but the three of us together took our little suitcases and stumbled our shaky legs onwards. We got there reasonably smoothly, although it felt like the longest 15 minutes of our lives. The hotel was so grand, like a 5-star place in a fancy brochure. None of us could believe we were staying here. We checked in, saw our lovely room got washed and pretty much got ready for bed right away. I can’t remember if there was jinbei or samue (japanese loungewear) for us when we arrived, as it was spring so I can’t think if the sleeves and legs were cropped, but it was one of them anyway. We all put them on and then, as Eli rang her loved ones back home, Sammy and I went out onto our balcony and did some stargazing. Being out of the city meant we could see so many constellations, including but not limited to my sun sign taurus, which I have never seen so brightly lit. It was really magical, with a backdrop that was to die for, although it really was freezing now the sun was down, so we kept having to go inside for five minutes to get warm before stepping out again. It was also so quiet and peaceful. I felt all the stresses of our chaotic life and trip just melt away. This was our first time in Hakone and, even from these first moments, I knew I’d want to return at least once a year from now on.
We went to bed relatively early, however mine and Eli’s anxiety was rattling around our brains, making it hard for us to sleep. Eli had unfortunately developed red spots near her hips that were starting to be really painful. She didn’t know if they had started on the plane or her first night, but her jeans had rubbed teh area all day as we walked and it was looking very red. I had never seen anything like it. It almost looked like somewhere between bites and a rash, and as someone who suffers from bad reactions to bites, to say it was nothing like I’ve ever seen before goes to show how scary it was. She had no other symptoms, other than feeling exhausted, but that could easily be put down to jet-lag or the amount of walking we’d done. It could just be a weird heat rash, we also thought, but none of us were doctors so I told Eli to get her health insurance details and, if it persisted and she wanted to see a doctor, I would help her find one and go with her to translate forms or interpret as she needed. The next day it seemed to have calmed down dramatically from the night before, clearly the jeans rubbing had been irritating it, and Eli had her first onsen experience (with a huge bandage/plaster setup on her back, looking like she’d been for some kind of surgery, to cover any trances of her tattoo). The hot springs were amazing, particularly the one outside with the view and it really helped us to relax. I still don’t think to this day I have ever felt more relaxed in my life.
After we checked out, we headed down to another Fuji viewpoint. It was windy, and there were some clouds, so we didn’t know if we’d miss out on Fuji again, but we had to try. The lake we went to was so beautiful, and the grounds where the viewpoint was located felt like some kind of Manor house gardens. We had assumed there would be coin lockers for our stuff either at the bus stop, at the entrance to the estate, or near the main building, but we were mistaken unfortunately. I knocked on the door of what either seemed like a reception to the museum/main building, or just an office for staff members. The woman who spoke to me was really kind. I asked her if there was anywhere we could put our bags and she offered their office up. She said we would have to pick everything up in a couple of hours max, and I told her we were just waiting to see Fuji and had a train to catch later on anyway so we wouldn’t be too long. She was so unbelievably understanding and kind, taking our bags in, reassuring me it was all fine and hoping we had a good time viewing Fuji. I thanked her generously before we headed back outside, our arms now free of luggage.
We could see Fuji, but not her summit due to one long, thin cloud that was inconveniently placed. We were tired though, and up for a peaceful rest, so we waited around for an hour and a half or two hours, chatting and chilling until Fuji poked out to say hello. Another group of three, a French family, waited around with us, so I took some photos for them and they took some for us, when the time was right. It was a beautiful day, sunny but not too hot because it was March. We couldn’t really have asked for it to go any better. We got some food from a combini before getting the bus back. Sitting by the lake trying to eat our snacks, a sharp wind began to blow. It came on suddenly, but my gosh was it cold. We really wanted to eat up quickly and get on the bus as soon as possible. The guy though approached me with his camera. He asked if I’d take a picture for him and, usually I’m more than happy to do so but, I have to admit, it was really cold and we were so hungry, so I felt a bit put out by his request. I complied though, not wanting to be rude, and knowing this could be a photo that reminds him of a beautiful trip for years to come. He then began to order me around though, asking for low angle shots, wide shots, portrait, landscape. By the sixth request I was starting to get annoyed so I hurried myself up, doing as he asked, but pressing the shutter three times in succession each time so he’d have loads to choose from even when I’m rushing. I gave him the phone back, he thanked me and left and I went back to my microwave corn that was now colder, but still delicious. Sammy, Eli and I had a little giggle about the whole situation: how funny it was that I even felt annoyed by his simple request but how his specific shots became more elaborate the more pissed I got. It was hilarious, us all shivering on this step on the edge of a lake, not even a bench to rest on, but we had seen Fuji and the day had been great and even the guy was a funny character that was now a part of our story. We were finishing our food and getting ready to head off, when the guy tapped me on the shoulder again. I couldn’t believe this man! I genuinely could not believe that he could want more photos! But then he hands me a hot tea, and one more for Sammy and another for Eli. He thanked me again for taking his pictures and gave me the cutest, biggest, heart-warming smile, then he was gone again before I could say much else to him. We were so grateful for these hot drinks, on such a cold day, they were just what we needed. I could not help but laugh again at how annoyed I had been. Who knew desperation for a piece of corn could make a person be so sour. It really was hilarious.
Unfortunately, the bus stop was packed when we got there. The bus was due in 10 minutes, but everyone was cold and cranky. When it arrived, only a third of the people got on board and the next bus wasn’t for another 30-40 minutes. It wasn’t fun, but we were one of the lucky ones who got on the next bus pretty much first. We were on this packed bus, shoulder to shoulder, for just over half an hour, then we caught a local train to Odawara. We saw the castle, had a little souvenir mooch around, and then jumped on the bullet train back to Tokyo. We were so tired, we couldn’t believe Eli had only been here 3 full days. That night, Eli used some Muhi cream (it’s kind of like savlon, but it’s better at treating bites, for anyone in the UK who can imagine that) on her hips and we collapsed into bed.
I guess the rest of Eli’s trip will have to be in a third and final blog. The little trip away described in this part really was packed but I considered it a huge success. Eli had ridden on a bullet train, seen a Japanese castle in Odawara, had her first hot springs experience, seen a daibutsu, the beach and of course Mt Fuji. If that wasn’t the best way to spend her only weekend in Kanto/Japan, I don’t know what could have been!
